Originally posted on Pinkjumpers: Having survived my first semester at university, albeit somewhat haphazardly, I like to think that I have already learned a great number of things with regards to surviving the ‘outside world’. In what I hope will become something of a ‘how-to’ series, I will share my snippets of advice alongside my first-hand woes that naturally stem from a girl who has yet to master the art of living smoothly. A lot can rest in first impressions- it is the difference between being ‘that intelligent female who knows a lot about 17th century literature’ and being ‘that girl who parades around with yesterday’s lasagne stuck to her face’. And never are first impressions quite so important than when you start university; when every impression is both first and nightmarishly immortal. It’s not breaking news to reveal that a drunken slobbery kiss the night before is a terribly awkward encounter in Tesco’s the day after. But even those ‘did I really lick his face last night?’ encounters do not compare to the events of…

Originally posted on Applying While Black: You can slay the GMAT, have the Harvard or Goldman, or even read every post, and still have nothing to show for it. In such instances, what’s your recourse? Hopefully, you’ve invested significant amounts of time towards putting together the strongest showcase of your candidacy. And by now you’re exhausted from the essay reviews, $250 application fees, and the anxiety of awaiting a decision to find out you were rejected. Usually, I try to keep the writing to a thematic couplet of aspiration and motivation. Therefore, what usually connects those two pieces is pragmatism. And, practically, it’s possible you won’t get into your first choice school. The more we accept this possibility, the better armed we’ll be to proceed. Obviously, you can elect to attend another school. But I do believe everyone should matriculate to a school where they truly want to go. When applying to undergrad, you’re advised to divide schools by the likelihood of your admission. We have reach schools, target schools, and back-up schools. However, when…